1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a deep fat food fryer having a double cooking track and mechanism to feed food product into the cooking tracks, and to a method of cooking food using a double track deep fat fryer.
2. The Prior Art
The known deep fat cooking devices are either trackless or single track.
The trackless version typically uses a basket; the basket is filled and emptied outside of the cooking vat. The basket is typically loaded with food, manually placed into a cooking vat and hung upon a stationary mounting bracket. The basket is then manually removed and emptied.
The single track deep fat fryers load at one end, send the food along the track to the discharge end and then remove the food. The function of automatic load, flipping of the food product and removal of food product are well known and several structures are available for achieving these functions.
Single track fryers are available for regular size donuts. Other single track fryers are available for miniature donuts. There is not a good all-purpose fryer available for both regular and miniature donuts. One of the problems has been an inability to maintain a first-in, first-out cooking order so that every miniature donut is cooked the right time, specifically enough time but not too much time. When miniature donuts are made on a regular donut fryer, the miniatures tend to become jammed and re-arrange themselves. Some of them don't cook sufficiently, and others overcook.
In the retailing of miniature donuts at fairs, carnivals, picnics, fund raisers, community celebrations, flea markets and other events where people congregate, it is known that people enjoy watching a donut machine make their donuts. Specifically, they want to see and are influenced by the action and entertainment of the donut making machine. When a donut machine is operating, people are drawn by the operation and sales are at a relatively high level. When the machine is not making donuts, more people tend to walk by and do not buy donuts. This is true for both regular and miniature donuts. People like to be entertained and enticed by watching a donut machine.
People also like fresh donuts. They do not want to buy pre-made donuts; they can do this in a service station or convenience store.
One of the problems is that people come and go in surges. A large group will arrive and all want donuts which requires very high production capacity or else a large inventory. People do not want to buy from inventory; they want to buy donuts just-made for them. But, after the crowd is gone, there may be a time with only single customers and only a small quantity of donuts are needed. The single customer also wants to see donuts being made.
The problem is to keep the donut machine operating at all times without building excessive inventory or without running short. Prior donut machines have not been able to satisfy both high and low production rates and keep operating to draw customers.